The one-month countdown to an anticipating Asian Para Games set for 6 October in Jakarta, Indonesia, has begun.

Indonesia 2018 has already broken records, with more athletes (nearly 3,000) from more nations (43) competing for more medals (568) than any other Asian Para Games. They will be covered by a record number of media with nearly 800 accredited, a near ten-fold increase in numbers over the last Games in Incheon 2014.

Asian Paralympic Committee President, Majid Rashed, commented: “A fundamental part of the strategic plan that we developed in 2014 was to grow the Paralympic Movement in Asia. These figures are fantastic to see and I’m sure over the competition period, we’ll see many more records broken. Thank you to the government of Indonesia, the authorities in Jakarta and the organising committee INAPGOC for their efforts to make these the biggest Asian Para Games ever.”

"I hope the event can be a cornerstone for the growth of the Paralympic Movement in Asia and we will do our best to make it happen"

Chairman of the organising committee INAPGOC, Raja Sapta Oktohari, said: “We are very upbeat to see such enthusiasm from members of Asian Paralympic Committee who have been so supportive of the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games. I hope the event can be a cornerstone for the growth of the Paralympic Movement in Asia and we will do our best to make it happen. Now, we’re in the crucial final part of our preparations and we must put all our focus and best efforts onto the event. I would like to thank the board of the APC for their assistance during the preparation, which has made everything more effective and constructive, and we will continue our collaboration to spread the positive vibe and to ensure the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games are successful.”

Torch Relay underway

The Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games, which run until 13 October, has generated more excitement with a flame lighting ceremony in Mrapen, Central Java to mark the start of the torch relay on 5 September. It will now visit several large cities that represent the archipelagic nature of Indonesia before arriving in Jakarta ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

Eighteen sports will then commence across the same venues as the Asian Games held earlier in August. The athletes will be housed in the same Athlete Village which underwent significant adaptation to ensure it is suitable for Para athletes.

Under the slogan “The inspiring Spirit and Energy of Asia,” the Games are the third edition of the Asian Para Games following on from Guangzhou, China in 2010 and Incheon, South Korea in 2014.